Middle-Earth Descendants
by The Journeyman of Middle-Earth
Summary: A Hobbit fanfiction, or pretty much an independent story, that takes place 40 years after the events of "the Hobbit". A young Hobbit embarks on a journey to Mirkwood to find the herb his mother has asked him for. And yes, this Hobbit is an oc of mine. All Tolkien characters are not owned by me, but their respectful creator and the movie companies. WARNING: Chapters update slowly.
1. The Journeyman of Middle-Earth

This is the first chapter of my story, UPDATED. Special thanks to Death to elves and Scribe of Erebor for Beta Reading, getting several changes in the story, such as reference to the timeline, extra detail regarding the character, and of course grammar corrections.

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**1**

**An introduction to the**

**Journeyman of the Shire**

Third Age, Year 2980 (or 1380 SR),

"Return quickly with it in your hands! And look out for spiders."

It was the last two sentences he read in his mother's letter, as he was sliding his finger through the torn paper. Willie Sackville-Baggins wasn't new to this situation. Ever since he became ten, his mother got use over him for whatever tedious work came into her mind. It seemed normal, for sure. Such a family as the Sackville-Bagginses, needed lots of work, even out of the boarders of Eriador, to live. Even though Willie had so far been the only Sackville-Baggins to travel beyond Bree. Ever since the first time his Ma demanded that he left for work, he had only twice returned to the Shire. It seemed weird, however, for every time he was done with a job, Ma would just pop up another one, right after. Thus, he seldom got the time to return home. However, didn't want to believe that his Ma always came up with a way to get rid of him. Maybe he was the important part of this family and the only one able to do such nasty work! Maybe…

Willie was generally standing out in the crowd, the little time he had spent in the Shire, since he had become an adult himself. Now a 33-year-old hobbit, he could be seen to be taller and stouter than others, pretty much more like a dwarf rather than a hobbit. Other characteristics that made him different were his ears, not being pointy at all, for an accident during his youth had cost him the pointy edges, and his smaller, analogically, feet, which he constantly covered in leather boots. Along with his smooth face characteristics, one could easily mistake him for a very short human or a beardless, thin dwarf. Many times, he would get ridiculed by the other Hobbits for his appearance. Generally, this little fellow had earned two, unfortunately fitting nicknames. 'Willie-Nillie' - for he would do what his mother commanded, with or against his will – and Willie 'The Dwarf', for obvious reasons. The Sackville-Bagginses, not so much his papa Otho rather than his Ma Lobelia, always saw him, for this reason, as a miasma in the family, and even to the Hobbit race, so they sent him away from home as often as they could, to avoid looking at this mess of nature, as they called him. Not that he was ugly at all. A brown-haired, brown-eyed, 140cm tall hobbit, not weighing more than 120 pounds.

The task he had been assigned with this time sounded simple: all he had to do was to pick a few sprouts from a weird kind of grass-like plant. His mother seemed so certain when she named it. "Collect as many seeds and sprouts of the herb that you can find, bring them to us, and our family will soon become famous for our wealth: this plant will make us rich!"

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Willie's ma, always had 'gaining' in her mind. A purpose in life for her, was to lay hands, someday, on the precious smial 'Bag-End'. Even though her husband, Otho, was the one with direct relation to the owner of this hobbit hole – Bilbo Baggins that is – she had taken it even more personal. Ever since Bilbo returned from the journey to the Lonely Mountain, a nasty idea had got stuck in her mind, that the 'Bilbo' to have returned was a fraud, while the real one had died. In some terms, she herself could sometimes consider it her duty to release the smial from her cousin-in-law's ownership. And that demanded gaining and gaining, through any job, especially through Willie. She was certain that this King's 'something', for the actual name was still stuck at the tip of her tongue, would be the great investment to turn the Sackville-Bagginses into Middle-Earth's mightiest traders and help herself lay hands on the precious Bag-End. At least that was what Willie had been told. And for this job an outcast was required so this herb would get to the family's hands. That scapegoat was Willie.

The letter arrived and got to his hands as he was still sojourning in a small village, east of Rivendell. Willie's business in general involved trading stuff. The last set box he managed to give away in that village, was a set of silver spoons. Lobelia had told him that it was a family antique or souvenir. He didn't mind, he had just had the job done, and that was what mattered. This time, however, his task sounded different than other times. His mother's instructions were defining: he had to move north-east, into the vast forest of Greenwood, to search for the herb. He had an enormous doubt as to why he shouldn't pick some from the woods next to Rivendell. "No, this is low quality. Mirkwood's is the finest, and there you shall go" was the forward reply to his question in Lobelia's letter.

The road was long, but Willie was impetuous to find the precious herb. It cost him nearly two months of his precious time, and a big amount of his precious allowance, as the trip expenses were his own problem to mind, claiming ma. But his real trouble hadn't begun yet, until he reached the boarders of the dark woods.

The forest was eerie. A weird, dark aura seemed to emit from inside its depths. The woodsmen Willie came upon would solely refer to it as 'Mirkwood', the forest of darkness. The hobbit wavered to all the weird rumors folk would often narrate on his trip. But the fearsome welcome Ma would keep for him back home if he disobeyed her orders, made all folklore sound less important and less difficult to deal with.

He went to a shop, hosted close to the entrance, in order to buy some extra supplies. The shopkeeper was really surprised to see a hobbit travel all the way to Mirkwood, almost as much surprised as Willie was to see a shop right outside the forest. The owner convinced Willie to buy food, rope, a cooking pot, even a silly crab hat, which the hobbit adored as soon as it came to his eyes. The food he acquired was more than enough, as he was prepared: one small sandwich per day was fine with him. After all, back home, when Ma prepared breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper for his brother and cousins, he would find himself among them only during dinner time. Perhaps Ma trained him to be ready for hard times, such as this. Because she cared about him, as she claimed.

Soon enough, Willie had started a full conversation about his task with the owner. Of course the shopkeeper couldn't help but comment. Men have always been curious.

"You are going into Mirkwood all alone?" he asked Willie, fully surprised, as he scanned him from top to toes – not a long way to cover.

"Definitely!" Willie replied assured. "My mother told me to collect a specific herb and, in order to find what I seek, I must enter the woods."

"Poor halfling, so young…" the shopkeeper whispered as he once again checked the hobbit.

"Anyway, good day to you, now I must be on my way," Willie said happily and turned to leave.

"Wait! Take this with you, good gracious! A lone hobbit marching into the dark forest alone and unarmed!"

Willie turned again and got startled by something heavy landing on his arms. "Wow, it's a golden sword! Thank you good sir!"

'"It's not a sword, it's just a kitchen knife made of copper…I don't have weapons in stock, but I shall live better with having one kitchen tool less, rather than see you march into such a murky forest. All its residents, including the woodland elves, are dangerous, deadly and lethal to intruders."

"Thanks a lot, even though I shall be just fine with myself," Willie said and put the knife in his bag. "I have got my own ways and I'll get out of there soon. Just please, make sure not to tell anyone about my task, and I shall be grateful."

"Fear not, I'll keep my mouth shut," the owner said and smiled.

"Alright then, wish me luck!" Willie said happily and left the shop. Once he was gone, the shopkeeper's smile had vanished and got replaced by grumpiness.

"You'll need more than mere luck to survive and return from this dreadful place, little one," he thought. "What kind of mother would send her son in such a place for any reason?" He was certain that he wouldn't be seeing the hobbit again.


	2. Into the Woods

**Alright, this chapter follows some of the events which take place inside Mirkwood. Willie is going to have real trouble in there**

**2**

**Into the Woods**

Ignoring most of the dangers lurking, Willie marched straight into the forest. His mission was to recognize a specific herb just with the description his mother had provided him with in words through her letter. To find as many sprouts of it as he could in a huge and vast woodland province, and take them all the way back to his mother. Pretty simple. Most woodsmen had advised him to follow a paved path, and not to lose it for any reason, or he would wander in the woods until he'd perished…either from starvation, or from poisoned berries, or by a forest resident. It sounded like there were so many ways to die in these woods. What could happen anyway? It was just a forest after all. Willie's inexperienced mind couldn't think of anything yet.

The search lasted longer and longer than what the little hobbit had expected. The air was heavy and dense, thus caused his head to spin. The eerie atmosphere and the limited sunlight, even though it was full noon, confused him. Gave him a hard time not to lose the path. At some point, his eyes flashed. Could it be…

He ran straight, 50 feet forward, and reached it. He stretched his arm and felt the petals. But he had been mistaken. It had been but a mere flower. A beautiful one indeed. But his mother was specific, the herb he was looking for was blue. Not red. Disappointed, the hobbit turned to leave, but stumbled upon some unveiled roots. Once he was up, he walked back the 50 feet and made a disgusting discovery: after looking left and right carefully, he realized that he had missed the path.

Now he was lost. He had nowhere to go. He was trapped inside a forest where the sun wouldn't shine. Everything was scary and intimidating…so Willie sat on a rock and took out his ingredients. Lettuce, cram, tomatoes, lembas bread. More than enough for him to make a neat sandwich. Once he was done, he held the sandwich with both hands vertically and scanned it, as if he was disappointed to mess such a masterpiece. Suddenly, a whistling sound broke the silence in the forest. Willie got startled and turned around to a light sound of leaves rustling and branches breaking. He saw nothing. Gladly. No shadow figures on the background, that would give him death-like nightmares. He sighed relieved and turned back, but was once again surprised. Most of the crispy lembas bread had been crunched and now laid on the ground, in crumbs.

"Weird, I…I don't remember using a tooth pick on my…" he went to say, but noticed something weird. What he saw as a 'tooth pick' on his sandwich had two peculiar edges. One pointy and one feather-covered. "Wait…I've seen this before…it's an arrow!' he said startled and jumped up. More steps sounding from behind. He was scared that something was stalking him.

Willie instantly unsheathed his 2-foot 'sword', which turned out to be almost as long as his arm

was – apparently it was about his size - and held the haft with both hands. What was stalking him? Bandits? He could get away with them somehow. Elves?! That would be crucial in determining the date of his funeral.

More leaves cracking. Either his stalker was toying with him, or was extra clumsy. Rumors had it that invading wanderers in the elven woodland realm would not realized what had happened to them, until they lied dead from whistling arrows, shot by invisible shadows on the trees. Intimidated, Willie ran into a hollow log and hid there for some minutes. The wet and dusty environment of the log's inner parts, full with all sorts of insects, big and small, didn't help the situation at all. But the hobbit limited the sound of his breath as much as he could, so he could perhaps remain out of sight and unnoticed by the chaser. He even covered his face with the hat the shopkeeper had persuaded him to buy. Everything seemed to be so safer in it, so Willie considered it to be a good investment. Eventually, nothing but peace and quiet could be heard from outside.

Sort of relieved, he sheathed his knife and moved to exit the fallen log. He didn't know how to swordfight after all, were he to be threatened in the first place. He never had done so before, and he wished for it to remain this way. So, he crawled out of the log and went to stand up, but suddenly froze. He noticed a weird and tall figure standing right in front of him. The hat was blocking eye contact, and even though it may sound weird, it partly relieved Willie. He then heard a sound, as if rope was being pulled. Perhaps he was already being pointed with an arrow. He squeezed his hands and closed his eyes. Was he about to die? And why wasn't the figure saying anything? What was his stalker after? His whole, wretched life passed right through his eyes. It was so boring, full of running errands for ma. Boy, would she be mad if he didn't return…with the King's weed mostly.

Then, a voice was finally heard. But Willie didn't understand a single word. It was in some unknown to him language. Probably elvish. He thought that this was it. He was toast. The voice spoke again. A better notice made him realize that it was a female's voice. But he still didn't have the courage to look up. That would mean he'd have to nod his head, which could probably end with his death. Or he was just exaggerating due to his fear. Then, something pressured his hat upwards.

Willie turned his eyes up to see whom he was about to speak with. Straight orange hair, dark amber eyes, pointy ears. That was the first thing Willie noticed. Along with the tall, slender bearing, he could easily tell he was looking at an elf. An elven maid, actually. But Willie wasn't fooled, for this elf could have had many centuries of life behind her. She was holding a bow with her left hand, and an arrow with the right. Once she came to see the hobbit's face, she let her guard down a bit and lowered the arrow's tip. Then she spoke to Willie again, this time in common tongue.

"You are no orc. Or goblin".

"Of course not!" Willie replied slightly insulted. "See this fine skin? Does it look like the rotten orcish one? I'm a hobbit of the Shire!"

"A hobbit…" the elf repeated. Then she suddenly grabbed Willie's shirt and easily lifted him up, until his head had reached the height of hers. No matter what, she seemed displeased. Willie wasn't scared at all.

"And what business does a halfling have, all alone and wretchedly armed, in the heart of such a dangerous forest?" she asked.

"I believe my business is my own to mind and none of yours". His reply seemed to enrage her, for she unsheathed her blade, raised it and pointed it at him, threateningly.

"It is my business, when a stranger like you trespasses the boarders and enters our land!".

"Boarders? What boarders?"

"The boarders of my kin's kingdom, the Woodland Realm".

Willie was surprised. He couldn't believe that he had walked so far into the woods. "Wow, I guess it's because I've lost the…the path, heh…". His legs were starting to get numb, as the elf was still holding him over ground.

"Just a mere halfling then" the elf said. "Good thing I didn't bother calling in the woodland guard".

"Well…why don't we calm down then…right?" Willie asked. "Why don't you put me down and we can start with proper, civilized introductions".

"I'd rather not".

"…And the reason is…?"

"We don't tend to act civilized against intrudes to our lands. Especially hobbits, who are so easy to remain unnoticed".

"W…what?! I am supposed to be a menace?" Willie asked surprised.

"Yes" the elf replied. "Hobbits are most useful in becoming spies".

"Right…spies" Willie said with a sarcastic smirk on his face. It sounded such nonsense.

"So, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Pretending to be a fool won't save you!" the elf said and her tone was ever more serious now.

"Am I being threatened right now?" Willie asked. "Because I've heard rumors and I know what you elves of Mirkwood are capable of".

"What is your point, halfling?" the elf asked puzzled.

"People keep telling me that the Mirkwood elves look like other elves, but compared to the Noldor, they are more dangerous" he stopped for a couple of seconds, then finished his sentence. "And less wise. Am I right?"

From the moment Willie spoke of these words, the elf's eyes glared. She was probably not amused.

"I would make you pay for your filthy words, halfling" she said. "But you still haven't told me. What business does a hobbit have all alone in Mirkwood? So, either you speak the truth, or we go the hard way".

"I'll take the third option" Willie said and suddenly kicked the elf – his leg could barely reach her. Surprisingly, the elf hadn't seen it coming and was caught by surprise. Willie took advantage over this, for the elf dropped him. He began running on abnormal terrain, below branches and through bushes. He hoped he would escape from the elf soon, but hadn't thought of one thing: Centuries of training allowed the elf to run freely in every path, abnormal or not. On the contrary with the hobbit, she hurdled and ran over the obstacles. After all, Willie's size didn't allow him to reach high speed running, so it was too easy for the elf to keep up with him.

Soon, she overpassed him by running on high tree branches, with the hobbit still looking behind and believing to have lost the elf. With one leap, she then landed in front of him. This time she could see fear in his face. He probably had nothing devious in mind, but it could also break the monotony of fighting orcs and spiders every day in the woods. Plus, his last comment made it personal for her.

"You expected to escape from me?" she asked determined and drew both her blades.

"I believe the question is rhetorical, so I won't answer" Willie said and unsheathed his sword. The elf couldn't resist but laugh at this sight.

"You'll fight with a kitchen knife? I see your weaponry is of finest forge" she said sarcastically.

Willie held the hilt with both hands and pointed the knife's shaky edge towards the elf, who was standing just a few metres away. "It's better than nothing" he commented. He had sword fought in the past, usually with Bilbo, decades ago for practice. But, his so little experience and wretched weapon against a fully armed elf, made his chances to win vaporize, reason why he was shaking his hands.

"You truly intend to fight with this?" the elf asked once more. "You should know you stand no chance, right?"

"I didn't know you elves boasted so much!" Willie then shouted, trying to limit his shaky voice. "Perhaps you are just too overestimated, all talk and no act…"

At the sound of that and from then on, everything happened too fast. A slash delivered by the elf separated the knife's blade from the hilt, before he would even blink, not react. A second one tossed the hilt from his hands. Willie was frozen. He couldn't really cope with what had just happened, or how fats it came to be.

"Overestimated?" the elf asked, to give him a starting point to talk.

"What…how…that was unfair! You caught me by surprise!" Willie protested, "I couldn't react, or I'd have defeated you!"

"You really are not good with jokes" the elf noted humorously. "Now, I expect that you tell me the reason of this unexpected intrusion, or it may get out of hand".

"I'm not saying anything" Willie said, but the elf suddenly placed the edge of her blade on his throat. That startled the hobbit for sure.

"Okay, I'll talk!" Willie instantly said. "I've been sent here by my mother, to collect a specific species of herb". The elf let down her guard entirely, waiting to listen to his words. Thus, she lowered her blade and waited for Willie to finish his sentence.


	3. Elven Affairs

**The third chapter of my story. Special thanks to _Scribe of Erebor_ for Beta Reading, and thanks to _Death to Elves_ for helping make great changes in this chapter's build. Also, special thanks in advance to _Borys68_ for being an inspiration over the herb's choice.**

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**3**

**Elven Affairs**

"I believe my business is my own to mind and none of yours"

Willie's reply to her question seemed to enrage the elleth, for she unsheathed her blade, raised it and pointed it at him, threateningly. "It is my business, when a stranger like you trespasses the boarders and enters our land!".

"Boarders? What boarders?"

"The boarders of my kin's kingdom, the Woodland Realm".

Willie was surprised. He couldn't believe that he had walked so far into the woods. "Wow, I guess it's because I have lost the…the path, heh…" His legs were starting to get numb, as the elf was still holding him over ground.

"Just a mere halfling then" the elf said. "A bizarre-looking one, though. For it is the first time I see a hobbit wearing boots and not having pointy ears or curly hair. But still, not a reason for me to call in the whole Woodland Guard"

"Well…why don't we calm down then…right?" Willie asked. "Why don't you put me…down…" he said by needlessly extending the 'down', "…and we can start with proper, civilized introductions".

"I would rather not"

"…And the reason is…?"

"We do not tend to act civilized against intruders to our lands. Especially hobbits, who are so easy to remain unnoticed. Not to mention bizarre-shaped ones"

"Hey, I will end up getting insulted! And…wait a minute… I am supposed to be a menace?" Willie asked surprised.

"Yes" the elf replied. "A hobbit can be useful in becoming a spy".

"Right…spy" Willie said with a sarcastic smirk on his face. It sounded such nonsense.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Pretending to be a fool will not save you!" the elleth said and her tone was ever more serious now.

"Am I being threatened right now?" Willie asked. "Because I have heard rumors and I know what you elves of Mirkwood are capable of"

"What is your point, halfling?" the elf asked puzzled.

"People keep telling me that the Mirkwood elves look like other elves, but compared to the ones in Rivendell, they are more dangerous" He stopped for a couple of seconds, then finished his sentence. "And less wise. Am I right?"

From the moment Willie spoke of these words, the elleth's eyes glared. She was probably not amused.

"I would make you pay for your filthy words, halfling" she said. "But you still haven't told me. What business does a hobbit have all alone in Mirkwood? Either you speak the truth, or you will oblige me to act the hard way".

"I'll take the third option" Willie said and suddenly kicked the elf – his leg could barely reach her. The hobbit's slowly progressing attempt was less than easy to predict, but for some odd reason, the elleth was caught by surprise. Willie took advantage over this -for the elf dropped him- so he quickly got up and fled. He began running on abnormal terrain, below branches and through bushes, unintentionally kicking pebbles, mushrooms and dirt away as he vainly progressed. He hoped he would escape from the elf soon, but had not thought of one thing: Centuries of training allowed the elf-maid to run freely in every path, abnormal or not. On the contrary with the hobbit, she hurdled and ran over the obstacles. It was the best thing to do, for her height didn't provide her with the advantage of staying to Willie's narrow path. After all, Willie's size didn't allow him to reach high speed running, so it was too easy for her to keep up with him.

Soon, the elleth overpassed him by running on high tree branches, with the hobbit still looking behind and believing to have lost her. With one leap, she then landed in front of him. This time she could see fear in his face. The hobbit probably had nothing devious in mind, but dealing with him could also give the elf the chance to break the monotony of fighting orcs and spiders every day in the woods. Plus, his last comment made it personal for her.

"You expected to escape from me?" she asked determined and drew both her blades.

"I believe the question is rhetorical, so I shall not answer" Willie said and unsheathed his sword out of his bag. The elf couldn't resist but laugh at this sight.

"You will fight with a kitchen knife? I see your weaponry is of finest forge" she said sarcastically.

Willie held the hilt with both hands and pointed the knife's shaky edge towards the elf, who was standing just a few meters away. "It's better than nothing" he commented. But, his so little experience and wretched weapon against a fully armed and professionally trained elf, made his chances to win vaporize, reason why he was shaking his hands.

"You truly intend to fight with this?" the elf asked once more. "You should know you stand no chance, right?"

"I didn't know you elves boasted so much!" Willie then shouted, trying to limit his shaky voice. "Perhaps you are just too overestimated, all talk and no act…"

At the sound of that and from then on, everything happened too fast. A slash delivered by the elf separated the knife's blade from the hilt, before Willie would even blink, not react. A second one tossed the hilt from his hands. Willie was frozen. He couldn't really cope with what had just happened, or how fast it came to be. He was just standing there, looking either at the broken knife or the ground, or at the elf, fully disoriented and not knowing what to do.

"Overestimated?" the elf asked, to give him a starting point to talk.

"What…how…that was unfair! You caught me by surprise!" Willie protested, "I couldn't react, or I'd have defeated you!"

"You really are not good with jokes" the elf noted humorously. "Now, I expect that you tell me the reason of this unexpected intrusion, or it may get out of hand".

"I'm not saying anything" he said, but the elf suddenly placed the edge of her blade on his throat.

"Okay, I'll talk!" Willie hasted to say startled. "I've been sent here by my mother, to collect a specific species of herb".


	4. Of Elves, Herbs and Dwarf-like Hobbits

I'm back! It's been some time since I last posted a new chapter to this story, so here it is :D The fourth chapter. Special thanks, once again, to **_Death to Elves_** for Beta Reading.

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**4**

**Of Elves, Herbs and**

**Dwarf-like Hobbits**

The elf let down her guard entirely then, waiting to listen to the hobbit's words. Thus, she put both her blades in their sheathes, tied round her belt. "A herb? For what purpose is it that you have come to its need? Medical reasons?"

The hobbit continued speaking. "No, it's just…anyway, I'll tell you. My Ma, has sent me to gather sprouts of a plant from your forest. In her letter, she mentioned it as 'King's…something"

"King's something?" the elf asked. "You don't remember the name, do you?". The hobbit, slightly insulted, put his hand in his pocket, which caused the elf to instantly unsheathe both her blades, and put the one back on his throat.

"Take your hand off your pocket, now" she said calmly.

"But…let me show you" Willie said and, as slowly as he could -so as not to give any impression of hostility that would probably cause him troubles in breathing- took a letter from his pocket. Once she saw the piece of paper, the elf lowered her blades once more, and sheathed the one -not both. The hobbit then handed the letter over to her. It was out of topic, but the elleth came through several lines written by Willie's mother towards her son, before she reached the herb reference -and she was more than puzzled at the way that this woman would write to her own child. After some sentences, she saw the name, as it was written on the letter: 'King's something'.

"…Oh…" the elf said awkwardly, as she handed over the letter, back to the hobbit. But she had understood what he was looking for. "You are after athelas"

"Uh…no!" Willie replied irritated. "The name starts with King's. See?"

"Athelas is the Sindarin name for the herb 'Kingsfoil', as it's known in Common Tongue" the elf replied back.

"Kingsfoil?" the hobbit asked as he put the letter back in his pocket. "Excellent, so you know it. Can I have it?"

"Wait…" the elf said puzzled. "You came all the way from the Shire to gather athelas in here?"

"Actually, I started from a village next to Rivendell, because I had another job to take care of near that place, but…wait, why is that uncommon? Athelas grows only here, I'm told…"

"That's not the truth" the elf interrupted him. "Athelas can be found anywhere around Middle-Earth. In Rivendell, in Lothlórien, in Fangorn. Why would you come all the way here, and put your life at risk, for such a common herb?"

Willie was still trying to think. Could his mother have mistaken the plant for another? Or was it another way for her to scold him? No, not this time. Perhaps she had just written the wrong name. After all, why would she send him so far away for such a petty purpose? Not that she hadn't done so in the past. The elf maid, puzzled, decided to give the hobbit what he was looking for. She stared around a bit, and soon her eyes captured it. A sprout of athelas, next to an unveiled root. She approached it with quick steps and showed it to the hobbit.

"There" she said. "This is the plant you're looking for. Since you came all the way here, you are free to have it. I advise you, however, if you wish to carry the sprout all the way to the Shire, that you place it in a pot with soil and water it occasionally, otherwise I doubt it will survive through half of your way back"

Willie inspected the flower carefully. He walked close to it, checked the petals, the sprout, always with a doubtful expression stuck in his face. In the end, he exclaimed determined:

"That's not the plant I seek!". That surprised the elf maid.

"You have already claimed" she said, "the name of the plant is Kingsfoil. This is it, none else".

"But, but, but…" mumbled Willie awkwardly as he took out his Ma's letter. "Look, here it says the plant is...I mean has white flowers, not blue! Also, Ma says that it is a long-legged, sweet smelling plant, creating gloomy "aisles" beneath the roof of branches. It's very specific a description, do you happen to know where I can find it? Please?".

To the sound of that, the elleth got startled. She had realized what plant the hobbit was speaking of. She could not believe that a halfling knew of its existence.

"Is that so?" she asked, as she inspected him suspiciously. "And what business does a hobbit of the Shire have with this particular plant?"

"Oh, so you know it! That's great, I need it, and quickly. Where is this athelas?"

The hobbit went happily to move around, looking for it, but suddenly the elf-maid threatened him with her blade, for one more time. She seemed to be utterly curious and angry at the same time. "It does not go by the name 'Athelas', the one that you seek»

The hobbit got impatient, thus spoke too recklessly, probably having forgotten how cornered he was a few minutes before. "I don't care what its name is, I just need to take it. I need this plant because my mother said so! Now I must have it! All!"

"All?!" the elf-maid asked, with a mix of smiling sarcasm and surprise in her face. "Your words would be very amusing, if their purpose was solely humor, but I assume it is not! Have you, any, the slightest idea, what herb you are referring to right now, hobbit?!"

"What is the deal anyway?" Willie asked puzzled. "It's just a mere plant, why make such a fuss and not let me have some?"

"Of course you don't know" she replied. "The herb you seek is sacred! And limited, even in our Realm! Those sacred plants have long, long history behind them, descendants of sprouts originating from the long-forgotten, divine lands of Beleriand. It was but the Great King of Greenwood, Oropher, responsible for their survival. This herb is not meant for the sticky paws of a hole-dweller, a lowly mutant-like hobbit of the Shire!»

Those words made Willie grow furious, for he never really enjoyed being named about his build. «I won't have a stupid elf satirize me, for any reason! If only I still had my knife, I'd show you a thing or two of not messing with Willie Sackville-Baggins!» he said infuriated, but suddenly the elf grabbed his neck, nearly choking him.

«You are right, Willie Sackville-Baggins!» she said in a sarcastic tone when naming the hobbit. «I shouldn't make such a fuss for a mere pest of your kind! But you still haven't answered to my question, halfling. What is your purpose and your motivation over claiming this plant?!"

Willie didn't seem to be really concerned over the elf's words. But another point drew his attention, which made him speak ruthlessly. "If I'm correct, you said descendants. Plural. In that case, it means there are many sprouts. I don't care whether it was taken by an Olofer or something, whoever that is, or if it was the first plant to grow in the world, even if it is the last thing I attempt to do, I'll take these plants with me! Either you try to stop me or not!"

The elleth was surprised by the hobbit's arrogance. A simple, weird-looking halfling, completely unarmed and disoriented in the woods, speaking with such certainty. But it only enraged her furthermore. "You are not capable of threatening me!" she said, and suddenly pushed the hobbit as hard as she could. Willie, as a result, landed on the ground prone on his back, completely startled and tried to crawl away, but the elf stopped him by stepping on his belly. "You should know" she continued, "I have killed many Men and Orcs who spoke so less than you, just for entering our Realm armed, you insolent, impertinent halfling! While you not only did so, but even resisted, insulted me and have prepared to commit sacrilege!"

"You're not going to kill someone unarmed" Willie said determined. "I doubt this would be beneficial to your image in your silly elven society, murdering an unarmed being, 30 points shorter than you and unable to fight back!"

"If I'm not wrong, those pieces of copper over there" the elf said and pointed at the broken knife, "are the remnants of the weapon you tried to use against me, in _my_ territory. In this case, I'm not killing someone unarmed, my dear Hobbit. It's pure self-defense against an armed, arrogant intruder to our lands, and gives me every right to put an end to you, right now!"


	5. Foul Meddlers

**Alright, this is chapter 5. Thanks to Death to Elves for Beta Reading once more. Careful, the usage of Italics now means ELVISH. When elves talk to each other with ITALICS, it's them speaking in ELVISH.**

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**5**

**Foul Meddlers**

It was nothing but a few seconds. But for Willie, this amount of time felt like long hours. He thought death was so close, and never before had he been cornered in such a nasty way. He wanted to plead the elf for his life, but didn't, for fear of not meeting any response and making futile attempts to save himself.

That was how Willie saw the situation. However, it was much different than that. The elleth had no intention to kill the hobbit. Her sole purpose was to intimidate him from his goal on removing the sacred sprouts, and in worst case, hold him as a prisoner. However, the hobbit didn't know that, and was getting more and more scared that this would be his last.

Suddenly, a noise broke the silence inside the vast woodland. It sounded like a big thud, right behind some logs and bushes. Birds flew away from close branches, in reaction to the noise. Many sounds can be heard throughout the forest, at any time, thus Willie didn't notice. It seemed unimportant, but was more than enough to distract the elleth's attention from her 'prisoner'. She instantly rose her sight front to inspect the source of this menacing thud. Anger over the hobbit had been replaced with nervousness and unease. That was what gave Willie the chance. He hastily grabbed a stone with his right hand and tossed it at the elf's head. The elleth was not caught off guard this time, but even though she managed to defend against the rock with her dagger, she ended up falling down, once the hobbit pulled her feet off the ground. In no time, both had stood back on their feet, and Willie was already feeling more comfortable, having gained a distance between himself and the elf. "Sorry, missy, but I have got to go now. You're not my type anyway, I don't fancy unprepossessing elf maids at all". He felt like it was time for him to brag, but his speech was cut in the middle, when he suddenly saw the elleth raise a dagger and point at him. She seemed so determined.

"What…what are you doing?" he asked daunted at this sight. But the elf suddenly threw her dagger, and the hobbit did what seemed more appropriate at this time; he covered his face with his hat again. A sound of the blade getting jabbed into something was heard, and Willie felt that it was on him. But he was mistaken. He drew his hat off his eyes and checked his chest several times, rubbing and looking to make sure. No, no dagger at all. "Ha! Ha! Ha! So you missed, elf!" he said, as he thought that the elleth had lost her target. So he prepared to brag and make a fool out of her, but suddenly a whomp-like thud of something collapsing on the ground was heard from behind him. He turned puzzled and what he saw gave him the shivers. A giant, brown-furred wolf, a warg, was lying soulless on the ground. The elf's dagger had been stuck between his eyes, and therefore led to its death.

"I missed?" the elleth asked, and a small grin could be seen in her face. Then, she walked towards the corpse – with Willie walking aside – and drew her blade from the warg's head.

"A…a wolf" Willie said and trembled.

"This is no common wolf" the elleth interrupted him, "this one is of Gundabad bred. There have been huge numbers of their filthy race around these parts for many years"

The hobbit just stood there and stared at the elf, with a very puzzled expression. "You…saved me" he could just say. "You killed him before he killed me!"

"Don't get cocky already, hobbit" the elf noted. "I just killed a foul intruder to my land"

"I am not convinced, miss elf!" Willie said, "you could have let the warg eat me, then kill him, but you didn't! And this whole time you could have slain me yourself!"

"Stop!" the elf said angrily, as she scanned the woods carefully.

"No, no, you are playing tough, but you won't kill me" Willie simply insisted said happily, before he started poking fun at the elf. "It's because of my incredible stature, isn't it? I'm attractive, I know"

"STOP!" the elleth shouted once more, this time even louder. She was checking round the trees and logs, in an alarmed way.

"What are you doing anyway?" Willie asked. "The warg is dead, why are you still alert?"

"Silly hobbit. A warg never travels without its pack"

"Pack?!" Willie asked scared to death.

«"I see you realized it is no time for stupid jokes, halfling" the elf said, as she scanned the woods.

"You mean there's more of these things?!" the hobbit asked desperately. Despite the fact that he had roamed around the ever – dark growing province of Eriador, he still never had come across any of the Dark beings, and wished it to remain so.

"This one was but a mere scout" the elf said. "Usually a dozen of them are to be found near one moving alone". More howls were then heard throughout the woods. "More like fifty, I'd say by the howls» she corrected and prepared her bow, but realized no one was listening. The hobbit had already left and was nowhere to be seen. How stupid on his account. At least he would be safe close to her. But now he could so easily be torn to pieces by the wargs. "...not that I care about the silly hobbit..." she thought. After this pause of her, two more wargs assaulted her right out of the bushes, and soon lied dead by the elf's blades and arrows. The elleth then drew a horn from her belt and gave a blow. The sound was deafening, but intended to warn the Woodland Guard. Meanwhile, Willie was hiding in a nearby bush, and waiting for a moment to move away from the elf by remaining unnoticed. For he had still not abandoned his main task, the reason why he was stuck in this dreaded, cursed forest. He had not forgotten that he ought to collect this herb, by his mother's command. If only he knew where the Kingdom lied, so he could go there and proceed with his mission.

Soon, the Woodland sentinels had answered to the horn's call and had come to the elf's aid. More than twenty elves, some armed with bows and blades, and others covered in thick, golden armor and helmets, looking more like guards. It turned out the elleth was the Captain of the Woodland Guard.

«Tauriel!» one of the guards shouted at her, as he saw the three dead wargs. "What happened?!"

"_I was assaulted_" Tauriel replied. "_There must be a whole pack nearby_"

Once she finished her sentence, many more of the dreaded wolves came growling and drooling out of the woods and charged at the elves. Before the combat had begun, the elves had already prepared their bows. "_Leitho i phillin!_" was heard, and then the arrows were released. Before combat already, the wargs had counted eight casualties. That was when our hobbit found it a good chance to escape, and he ran towards where the elves had come from, probably the woodland kingdom, where the herbs must have been kept in the first place.

The battle between elves and wolves lasted fiercely for ten long minutes. However, the count of casualties was completely limited to the wargs' side. Soon, all forty eight of them were exterminated. No dead were counted among the elves, neither were the wounded great in number; nothing but a mere few, and out of grave danger, for sure. As the guards carried the wounded back to the realm, Tauriel kept asking her soldiers whether they had come across a weird-looking hobbit. None of them replied positively. The halfling was long gone.

"_What were you doing in here, without noticing us, Tauriel?_" one of the guards asked. "_Is it about this hobbit you are asking for?_"

"_Yes. A hobbit, looking so much like a beardless dwarf_"

"_A hobbit here? It has been forty years since a hobbit last walked in our lands. What was it after, Tauriel? Did he tell you?_"

"..._Oh, no!_" Was solely what Tauriel, before she started running towards the elven gates. Some guards followed her, puzzled.

"_Tauriel, what was the hobbit after?!_" the guards asked her.

"_He was after our sacred sprouts of Aeglos! And I fear he will achieve his goal and steal it, if we're not fast_" At the sound of that, the guards were astonished. Aeglos, an ancient herb, a plant which takes nearly a thousand years to leave its descendants, the last remnant plant from the long forgotten holy land of Beleriand, was being threatened by a 'mutant hobbit of the Shire'. That was something out of the Elven routine.

After some minutes, the elves had reached the gates of the great Woodland Halls. Close to the gate lied the Royal Garden, where the most precious herbs of the forest were kept. It was the King's personal garden, founded by Oropher and his wife, High King and Queen respectively of Greenwood the Great during the First and Second Age, and inherited to their son Thranduil, present king of the Woodland Realm. This plot was beautiful, covered with all sorts of blossom, flowers, weeds, herbs, all descending from sprouts grown. There were no trees over this spot of earth, to give the proper sunlight for the plants. No one had ever been a threat to this garden, so it was not surrounded by walls, allowing the plants to grow freely. Only a couple of guards, standing there half of the day, were meant to be the protectors of this small plot. However, at the sound of this horn, even these two guards had left their positions and came to Tauriel's aid. So, to their own disappointment, the elves reached the garden only to find that the two sprouts of Aeglos had been removed, and only two holes were in the ground where the two plants laid before.


End file.
